The Legend of The Wisp
by DisneyDame88
Summary: A ROTBTD story set in a Pirate AU. Based on the drawings by andythelemon on tumblr. Will probably develop to include Mericcup and Jackunzel.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note – a ROTBTD story based on the Pirate Au by the wonderful andythelemon on tumblr.**

**Apologies for not writing Merida's accent into the story – I shall have to ask you to imagine it!**

"But whyyyyyy? I only just washed and re-hung it yesterday!"

Hiccup sighed in exasperation and rubbed his forehead. This was the third time he'd asked Jack to climb up the rigging and take down the pirate flag currently flapping proudly in the wind, and the third time he'd either been ignored or deflected by Jack's usual child-like manner.

A little worn and worse for wear, their small but tightly-knit crew was none the less very fond of their flag and all it stood for. For Jack - adventure. For Merida - freedom. And for Hiccup - the chance to widen his horizons, learn new things and meet new people. So a mixture of both Jack and Merida's reasons he supposed upon contemplation.

The image of a skull engulfed in blue flames had been lovingly sewn onto a field of black by none other than Hiccup himself at Merida's request. Her own needle work was appalling and Jack had refused point blank even after they had all agreed on the design. Still, Hiccup could admire the good job Jack had done painting the ship's name onto the stern; _The Wisp _stood out in delicate pale blue letters from the dark brown wood of the ship. Hiccup had to hand it to Jack that painting legible script whilst hanging upside down over the edge of the ship was clear proof of his steady hands and athletic skill. Shame it was going to have to be covered with mud now.

"I've already _told _you Jack." Hiccup explained for what felt like the umpteenth time. "We're going to arrive at the Kingdom of Corona soon, and if we have any chance of stealing the Golden Rope then we have to do this _sneakily. _Which means it would be helpful if we didn't announce to the whole kingdom that we're pirates the second we make port. Toothless has had to hide below deck and you know how he hates being cooped up."

Jack groaned and leant on his trusty staff before pouting slightly.

"Besides…" Hiccup continued, sensing that Jack might try and interrupt him. "it's a direct order from Merida, so I'd hop to it. You know how mad she got last time you took ages with a job."

Jack scowled before wincing slightly at the memory. "Yeah, yeah I got it. Nice and sneaky; quickly in and out. Though where's the fun in that I don't know…." He trailed off in a grumble before clambering up the rigging.

Despite his protests, Jack had a huge amount of respect for Captain Merida Dunbroch and her first mate Hiccup Haddock. They had believed in him when no one else had; they had given him a second chance at life, and he didn't intend on wasting it. He lived for every second, taking fun where he could and was always on the look out for the next adventure – the noisier and more chaotic the better, much to his shipmates chagrin.

Scampering up the ropes with practised ease, Jack smiled broadly as the wind whipped around him the higher he went. Not that he'd ever tell Hiccup, but being up in the rigging or in the crows nest was his favourite place to be – something about being up high made him feel more free than anywhere else. He'd often watch the seagulls with jealous eyes as they swooped on the wind in careless joy – standing in the crows nest with nothing ahead of him except open water and an endless horizon was the closest he'd ever get to that feeling of flight.

Reaching the flag, he began working nimble fingers over the ropes in order to release the flag that was currently threatening to hit him in the face.

"Frost! Haven't you taken down that flag yet?! I asked for it to be done an hour ago!"

Speaking of being hit in the face….

Jack winced as the sound of his Captain's voice drifted up to him, before looking down at her with his trademark smirk.

"Almost done Captain! Peg-leg only just gave me the order!"

"That's Mister Peg-leg to you Jack!" Hiccup's sarcastic reply came from somewhere below him.

Merida rolled her eyes. She was used to the two of them continually teasing each other and had learnt to ignore it for the most part.

The three of them certainly made an odd group, but she wouldn't change it for the world – despite how much they might get on her nerves from time to time.

Jack Frost – The Ghost of the Seven Seas. White hair and pale skin, with piercing blue eyes. Merida would guess he was part albino but he'd never confirmed it either way. His acrobatic skills and ability to move as silently as a whisper made him deadly; his preferred weapon of a staff may look clunky, but you'd never see it coming until it was too late.

Hiccup Haddock – The Dragon Whisperer. The only known man to have ever tamed a dragon, his leather armour and ferocious companion were only a distraction from the true danger – his mind. Quick thinking and tactically brilliant, Hiccup had ensured that their small ship and crew was never a disadvantage on pirating missions. His designs for improved cannons and weapons were highly sought after, and he could often be found tinkering with a new invention below deck; his pet dragon Toothless never far from his side.

The dragon itself was a character all of his own. Black as night and about the size of a large dog, the reptile could fool you into thinking it was almost cute at times. Almost. But it had only taken once for Merida to see him roast one of their enemies alive to always remember that there was a ferocious side to the animal that could never be quelled – no matter how he may purr and curl up beside Hiccup at night like a domestic cat. Still, he was a loyal friend to Hiccup that she couldn't deny, and was certainly handy in a fight.

Then there was her – the Captain of the infamous_ Wisp, _Captain Merida Dunbroch – The Ocean's Inferno. Nicknamed she supposed for either her fiery temper or flame red hair, it was still a name she was rather fond of. As pirate names went it was pretty decent, and it always helped if your victims were terrified of you before you'd even boarded their ship.

She would always prefer to complete a mission with minimal bloodshed, and it helped if their opponents surrendered peacefully. Despite this, it seemed the rumours only grew that she was a fearsome warrior of unmatched skill that was not to be messed with. The tall tale that she could shoot you through the eye from 100 leagues away was her favourite, for her trusty bow was never far from her side. She supposed the rumours were helped by the fact that she had never failed to steal what she had set her eyes upon yet – though whether that was through skill or sheer dumb luck she wasn't sure. "Never underestimate a fearsome reputation" was something that Hiccup had taught her when they first met, and it was something she had clung to ever since.

Sometimes she thought that Hiccup would be a better Captain than her, but if she ever tried to bring it up he would insist that it was her ship, therefore she should be Captain. "Besides" he would add, when she tried to protest "when you saved my life I swore to spend the rest of it serving you. I can hardly do that if I'm the one giving orders now can I?" Then he'd give her a lopsided grin and she'd roll her eyes before stomping off to hide the faint blush on her cheeks.

They had found Jack shortly after and it had been the three of them ever since – with the odd extra crew member here and there of course. Even a small ship needed more than three people to run it! But whilst those names and faces changed frequently, Jack, Hiccup and Toothless were her constants. They were her anchors in the storm that had become her life ever since she had left her kingdom.

She allowed her eyes to briefly wander to the northern horizon. Back towards home. The home she had fled. The family she had left behind.

Shaking herself out of her rare reminiscing she silently scolded herself. This was her home now. This was her family.

She looked fondly down at the boys who were bickering about something trivial now that Jack had descended back to the deck (apparently Jack had carved something rude onto Hiccup's wooden leg whilst he'd slept) and thought about how this next job would set them up for a long time.

As much as she loved the pirate life, it would be nice to have enough money to treat themselves and take a break from piracy for a while. The Golden Rope was rumoured to posses unmatched magical powers; the power to heal all ills and compel any within its binds to tell the truth. Stealing and selling that rope would make them enough gold for a long, long time. And she could certainly have some fun forcing Jack to tell the truth about various pranks of his that he currently vehemently denied.

Merida grinned to herself.

"I don't know why you're so upset Hiccup, I _improved_ it!"

"How is _that _an improvement?!"

"Well I thought it could do with a bit of character! You know, something more _you._"

"And a phallus just screams 'Hiccup' to you does it?"

"Well you are a bit of a cock at times yes. Besides, didn't you notice the little dragon wings I did either side of it?"

"Jack I'm gonna _kill _you!"

"Men!" Merida interrupted their squabbling with a shout. They, and the other members of the crew turned to look at her.

"We'll be making port at Corona within the hour, and if the rumours hold true the Golden Rope will soon be within our grasp. Be ready to retire in glorious wealth and luxury – but only if you do your jobs right! Otherwise it will be the noose for the lot of us.

Remember: we are a small and humble merchant ship stocking up on supplies. Those not needed for this mission stay on ship and keep a low profile – those of you tasked with going ashore, _try _and make yourselves look more presentable! Merchants, even poor merchants, don't look like drowned sea rats! Any questions?"

Her hawk like eyes scanned the faces below her before she was satisfied that everyone had paid attention and knew what they were doing. With a sharp nod she waved her hand and dismissed them back to their work.

A faint clomping announced Hiccup's arrival at her side. "Everything ready Captain?"

"It's Merida to you Hiccup, you know that" she admonished him.

"'Captain' is more suitable in front of the crew don't you think?" he winked.

Sighing slightly she conceded his point.

"We've been searching for this so long Hiccup – do you think it's really there?"

"Everything certainly seems to point to that" he replied. "All the rumours, all the stories – even that eye witness account that Jack found all say the Golden Rope is kept in Corona."

"Eye witness? You mean that drunkard, One-eyed Wasowski?" Merida laughed.

"Hey, that's Two-eyed Wasowski now!" Jack's voice chirped up from behind them, making them both jump.

"Jack! What did I tell you about sneaking up on people?!"

"That it makes me a fine pirate and to keep doing it?"

Merida paused. "Well yes…but not to us!"

Jack grinned. "Anyway, as I was saying, you can trust Wasowski! I knew his mate Sully from way back, who swore to me he'd only had one eye before. Wasowski definitely had two eyes when I met him, so if that's not some magical healing thingamy I don't know what is!"

"And where did he see this rope again?" Merida asked. She'd already heard the story before, but she liked to hear the information again to be sure.

"I told you – he didn't see it per-say. He used his life savings to pay some witch in the city for a cure to his skin disease – he was going the strangest shade of green. Anyway, she blindfolded him and they travelled by horseback out of the town before she led him up and up these stairs.

Next thing he knew he felt the rope being tied around his hands and this voice was singing to him. Said it was beautiful – felt like he was being bathed in sunshine. Then he was being shoved back down the stairs, dragged through the forest and abandoned. By the time he dared to take the blindfold off he was all alone – and not only was his skin back to normal but he had both eyes! Now how's that for a tale?" Jack finished triumphantly.

"It certainly _sounds _like the Golden Rope" Hiccup pondered.

"_Sounds _like?! How could it be anything _else?!" _

"Shut it you two" Merida snapped, trying to think. "Right, you both need to get changed into that merchant gear we stole off that ship a while back. I'm gonna need you both with me to scout out the town for that witch. It sounds like finding her is the key to finding the rope."

"Aye Aye Captain!" Jack saluted with a grin before grabbing the rail and launching himself over the edge to the deck below.

"Show off" Hiccup muttered. "What are you wearing Merida? No offense, but your usual outfits are a bit, erm…."

"Piratey?" she supplied.

"Yeah… I don't think the _male _merchant outfits are going to make you stand out any less either."

Merida sighed before grimacing. "I know…there's nothing for it but one of those stupid frilly dresses we got from the last heist. I'll have to be a merchant's sister, coming along for the journey to sample _perfumes_ or something" she spat in disgust.

She began to walk back to her cabin before turning back to point at Hiccup with a threatening finger "And tell the crew – _especially _Jack – that if I hear a single word about this from any of you I _will _have you flogged."

"Aye Aye Captain" Hiccup saluted with a barely concealed smirk.

Merida gave him a narrow-eyed glare before storming into her room and slamming the door behind her. Really, Hiccup and Jack were far too similar at times for her liking.

Meanwhile in Corona, in a tower in the middle of the forest a girl sat humming softly to herself, her long golden hair splayed around her. Her quick mind ran over the plan. It wasn't much of a plan, and in all truthfulness it made her stomach turn over when she thought about what she was going to do – but it was her only choice. Today was the day she was going to escape.

Hearing a jangle of keys on the other side of the door she looked up, plastering a smile on her face. But when the guard poked his head around the door, food in hand and a cheery greeting on his lips she had to fight not to let her smile drop.

It wasn't supposed to be him. Not today. Why did it have to be him?


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note – I made an edit to the end of the previous chapter. I have gone back and corrected it, but to those who don't want to go back to read it, here is the updated end to Chapter 1 – **

Meanwhile in Corona, in a tower in the middle of the forest a girl sat humming softly to herself, her long golden hair splayed around her. Her quick mind ran over the plan. It wasn't much of a plan, and in all truthfulness it made her stomach turn over when she thought about what she was going to do – but it was her only choice. Today was the day she was going to escape.

Hearing a jangle of keys on the other side of the door she looked up, plastering a smile on her face. But when the guard poked his head around the door, food in hand and a cheery greeting on his lips she had to fight not to let her smile drop.

It wasn't supposed to be him. Not today. Why did it have to be him?

…

Rapunzel had been in this tower for what felt like her entire life. Sure; it was decked out with everything she could ever need, but plush furniture and extravagant clothing didn't make up for the taste of fresh air or the feel of grass against her feet.

Born as the only daughter to the King and Queen of Corona, one would expect her parents to be protective as it was – but what really caused her predicament was her magical hair. Saved by a magical flower when still in the womb, Rapunzel was born with golden hair that had the power to heal anything and anyone – as long as it wasn't cut. It also bound her to always tell the truth whenever she spoke; meaning she soon learnt to be very creative with her speech whenever she wished to keep a secret.

Fearing that she would be stolen away for her magical talents, the King and Queen kept her hidden away from the world out of a misguided sense of protection. At first she resided in the castle, but eventually her nurse maid and tutor, Gothel, convinced her parents that she would be too easily discovered there. So many servants and visitors coming and going – it would be far too easy for someone to sneak in and kidnap her!

Far better to remove her to some secret location in the forest where she could be guarded day and night, allowing only Gothel, her parents and a select number of highly trusted guards to visit. So at five years old she was removed from her family's home and had lived in this tower ever since. Her parents visited as often as they could sneak away and she got on well with the guards who brought her anything she wished – but it wasn't the same as having true freedom.

Gothel acted like a doting second Mother, and throughout the years would sometimes sneak up "visitors" for Rapunzel to meet. Except these visitors would never stay long, would be blindfolded and always seemed to be ill. As she grew older, the girl began to realise that Gothel was charging people money for the use of her skills – something that Rapunzel could use to her own advantage. Confronting her, she managed to negotiate small freedoms – she would keep Gothel's dealings a secret from her parents provided she was allowed certain things: the ability to wander the forest from time to time (escorted by guards of course), the opportunity to learn sword fighting and the chance to speak and make friends with the guards who stood outside her tower day and night.

One such guard was Flynn Rider. Assigned to her guards a few years ago, he had been the one who taught her how to fight; had laughed with her and teased her about the golden hair that continually trailed behind her. She would tease him about his nose in return and they would grin before sitting down to whatever delicious pasty she had baked that day to keep herself occupied. She was closest to him than perhaps anyone else; which made what she was going to do so much more painful.

"Flynn!" the girl exclaimed, the smile on her face slightly strained. "What are you doing here?"

The man in the doorway paused and adopted a wounded expression.

"What you're not happy to see me? Blondie, I'm hurt!" he pressed his hand against his chest in a dramatic fashion.

Rolling her eyes, she stood to take the tray of food from him and placed it on the kitchen table.

"I thought Max was on duty today?"

"He was…but I asked him to swap with me. I wanted to see you."

As his tone turned from teasing to serious, she tensed. He waited for a response, but when she remained with her back towards him he stepped closer and took a breath to continue.

"Look Rapunzel…about yesterday. I'm sorry…I know it wasn't what you wanted to hear. But…you're safer here. You don't know what's out there, I can't – I mean _we _can't protect you properly once people know who you are…I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too…" came her whispered reply.

Flynn's forehead creased in concern as he reached for her shoulder, wanting to see her face. He was not ready however when she swung round, frying pan in hand, and smashed him hard over the head.

He crashed to the ground with a thud, and Rapunzel held her hand to her mouth with a gasp before kneeling beside him to check his pulse. It was still beating strongly – with luck she had only knocked him out for a short while. Just long enough to escape.

Grabbing the bag she had already prepared and placing a letter on the table for her parents, she slid the keys off Flynn's belt and made her way to the door.

Pausing, she turned to look at his unmoving form on the floor.

"I truly am so sorry Flynn. But I can't stay here a moment longer. Goodbye…"

With that she unlocked the door with a satisfying click and snuck down the cold stone stairwell – frying pan still grasped firmly in her hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Hiccup carefully brought the ship into the dock, shouting out to the crew to drop the anchor.

The Kingdom of Corona was truly a beautiful sight to behold. As bright and cheerful as her people; the terracotta tiled roofs, faded yellow walls and sandy coloured cobblestones gave the whole place a warm, Mediterranean feel.

It appeared they had arrived during a celebration of some kind if the flags and numerous stalls were anything to go by. Hiccup nodded in satisfaction. The hustle and bustle of a city-wide event would make it much easier for them to sneak around unnoticed. It appeared that numerous other ships had arrived with wares to sell at the festival, so strangers today would not be uncommon. Their chances were looking better by the second.

A cough behind him caused him to turn and he forced himself to reign in a smile. Merida had emerged from her room, tugging at her frilled neckline in discomfort and looking at her shoes in disgust. Personally Hiccup thought the green of the dress complimented her hair and brought out the blue in her eyes – but the poofy sleeves and ruffled skirt were definitely _not _to her taste.

"Would yer look at this Hiccup – Bows! Who puts _bows _on their _shoes _fer god's sake? And heels! How am I supposed to run in heels? These things are ruddy _useless_."

Jack chose this moment to leap from the rigging he had been climbing above them and execute a perfect landing right behind her.

"I dunno Mer.." he began in a teasing tone, leaning in towards her ear. "I've often heard heels described as instruments of torture; they should be right up your street don't you think? - GAH! Why would you DO that?!"

Merida calmly removed her heel from where it was digging sharply into his bare foot and turned to give him a wide eyed look of innocence.

"What d'yer know? They _are_ useful as instruments of torture! Thanks Jack!"

Waving cheekily at him she made her way down the stairs to the main deck, her sharp eyes watching the crew from behind an exceedingly frilly fan.

Groaning and rubbing his sore foot, Jack shot Hiccup a glare as he saw his friend silently chuckling.

"You brought that on yourself Jack. Besides, why aren't you wearing your boots? We're about to go ashore as merchants, you can't really pull that off if you're still barefoot."

Jack pulled a face. "I just wanted to get a good look from up high before we made our way into town. I can climb fine in shoes, but it's so much _easier _without them."

"Fine" Hiccup sighed. "Just go get them on – we need to go! If Merida has to be in that dress for a moment longer than necessary I dread to think what sort of temper she'll be in later."

….

They had been wandering around the city for the past couple of hours and despite the very pleasant setting, Merida was getting impatient. They had tried subtly asking around for any rumours under the pretence of being merely curious visitors, but so far none of their lines of enquiry had been fruitful. Now they had tried splitting up to see if they had any better luck individually.

The people were merry and willing to chat certainly, but most were too pre-occupied with the festival – not that anyone seemed to know exactly _why _they were having one. Apparently it was a yearly occurrence; the entire city got involved and most people were given the day off. Purple flags with yellow suns adorned on them fluttered from every window, stalls sold trinkets and baked goods that made your stomach rumble from the delicious smells. Some said it was to celebrate the day their city was founded. Others that it was in commemoration of a lost princess, though Merida had never heard of the King and Queen having a child in the first place. And some whispered that it was in reverence to the day they were blessed by the heavens and a golden drop of sunlight had fallen on their city to protect the people.

This had been the closest Merida had gotten to the mention of anything golden and magical, but it was so far fetched that she did not hold much hope in it. Sighing in defeat, she closed her fan with an audible snap and made her way to the place she had arranged to meet Hiccup and Jack, hoping that they had had better luck.

Finding Hiccup already there, she could tell by the look on his face that he had fared no better than her.

"I tried asking around the various healers in the hope of hearing any miraculous stories of people recovering – but no luck." He explained. "There was one woman there with curly black hair who gave me a bit of an odd look when I mentioned it, but she left before I got the chance to talk to her."

"Well _I _might have got us somewhere" a familiar voice piped up from behind them, causing them both to jump.

"Jack don't DO that!" Merida chastised him crossly.

"I heard some guards talking" he continued, acting as if he hadn't heard her. "I swear I heard one of them mention something about a guard being on 'Tower Duty'."

"Tower duty? Sounds pretty mundane to me…" Hiccup's eyebrows frowned in confusion.

"Yeah that's what I thought, but the way they were talking about it…they sounded pretty jealous, as if it was a big deal. I listened some more, and it turned out that neither of them seemed to know what Tower Duty actually was – except only the best of the best got to do it. Seems some guy named Flynn Rider had been promoted to it a few years back and they were bitching because they didn't think he deserved the job."

Hiccup and Merida's eyes lit up in realisation.

"So you think this Tower could be where they're keeping the Golden Rope?" Hiccup mused, half to himself and half to Jack.

"It would make sense" Merida interjected. "If only a select few knew about it that would be why rumours are so difficult to come by." She turned to Jack "Also, didn't your friend say something about being led up a load of stairs? That could be the tower!"

"Awww you mean you actually _do _listen to me? I'm so touched!" he teased.

"Yeah well, once in a while something comes out of your mouth that isn't _completely _useless" she grumbled.

"I think that was almost a compliment there Jack!" Hiccup chuckled.

"So" Merida continued, trying to get the subject back on track "where can we find this Flynn Rider guy?"

Jack ruffled his hair sheepishly. "Err, that's the thing. One of them managed to clock that I was watching and the moment they spotted me they clammed up. I think they suspected I was listening so I made my way out of there quickly before they got any ideas about questioning me."

Merida groaned. "Well that's just great. They're gonna be on their guard now and it will be twice as hard to get them to reveal anything."

Jack grinned slyly. Merida did _not _like the look in his eye.

Ten minutes and many protests later, Merida found herself hiding around a corner from said group of guards, Hiccup and Jack behind her urging her in supposed encouragement.

"But why _me?!_" she complained for the umpteenth time, trying to keep her voice low.

"Because you're a _lady_ – and I spied on those guards long enough to know they had a soft spot for the fairer sex. Well – fair-ish." Jack teased, eyeing her frilly dress up and down.

"Jack…" Hiccup's voice warned softly as he saw the red begin to rise on Merida's cheeks.

"Oh she can hit me for it later" Jack waved him off dismissively. "Look, _Captain – _we came here to get a job done right? Well it turns out you're the only one of us with the right…_tools _to finish it. So are you gonna do it or not?"

Merida met his challenging glare before huffing in defeat.

"Fine. I'll do it. But ONLY because if I threatened them at knife point the three of us would be unlikely to fight our way past the entire regiment of guards to get back to the ship."

"How do I know that that is something you had already given serious consideration to?" Hiccup sighed.

She gave them a final glare and snapped open her fan "Ok, I'm ready." She grumbled.

Turning away from them and preparing to step around the corner, Merida was surprised to feel two slim hands pull her back briefly and make their way to the front of her dress. Tugging sharply at her collar, three buttons flew off making her modest neckline suddenly _very _revealing.

"_Now _you're ready." Jack's amused voice tickled her ear and he shoved her around the corner before she could protest.

She froze for a moment, unable to go back and beat him to within an inch of his life because the guards had all noticed her sudden appearance and were staring at her with appreciative glances.

She plastered a fake smile on her face as she attempted to focus on the task at hand and push Jack to the back of her mind; though the idea of introducing his face to her heels later was very appealing.

Her smile widened and became much more genuine.

Meanwhile, back around the corner Hiccup was staring at Jack in horror.

"What?" Jack asked defensively. "It got their attention didn't it?"

"It was nice knowing you my friend." Hiccup replied sombrely. "Provided there are still enough pieces of you left by the time Merida is done with you, would like to be buried at sea or cremated?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Content Warning – Murder, blood and implications of intended rape.**

Tugging her cloak around her, Rapunzel thanked the heavens that she'd had the foresight to braid her hair that morning. When left to flow freely, it stretched out many feet behind her and would be far too cumbersome in the city – not to mention easily recognisable.

When braided however, it just barely skimmed the floor behind her ankles, and could just about be hidden from sight underneath her long purple cloak. Pulling the hood over her head eliminated the issue completely as every strand of her gleaming golden hair was covered.

Keeping her head down, she ducked out of the line of trees and made her way onto the road, merging with the many travellers arriving. Though going closer to the castle was technically the worst thing she could do in this situation, she wasn't going to get very far on foot. Her parents would send every member of the guards after her the moment they found out - which shouldn't be too long once the guards she had locked up managed to escape.

She wished she felt more guilty about how she had duped them – but she couldn't. Temporary imprisonment (and unconsciousness in Flynn's case she reminded herself) was nothing compared to a lifetime of captivity. It had actually been rather easy, leading her to wonder why she hadn't done it years ago.

After leaving Flynn unconscious on the floor she had made her way quickly down the winding stone staircase. Reaching the bottom she had taken a deep breath, steeling herself to meet the remaining guards she knew would be at the doorway of the tower. Fixing a distraught expression on her face, she had flung the final door open and burst out into the sunlight.

"Guards! Quick! You must help Flynn! He's been knocked unconscious!"

The two men flanking the door had turned to her in surprise before one made his way past her to run upstairs.

As the remaining one hesitated she had nodded at him encouragingly.

"You should go and help him. I'll wait here."

After all, he had no reason to believe she wouldn't. _Technically _she wasn't a prisoner - she was their princess. Who wasn't allowed to leave because they were _protecting _her not _imprisoning _her. Of course.

But she had grown tired of being told that it was for her own good and that everyone else knew what was best for her.

Waiting until the guard had followed his colleague, she had counted to five before letting the innocent look drop from her face. She never said how _long _she would wait.

After that, it had been far too simple to quietly close the door behind them and lock it firmly – leaving the keys hanging from the lock so they could not use theirs from the inside. Provided the solid wooden doors held strong against any attempts to break it down, she should have roughly one more hour before the change of guard discovered her absence and alerted the castle.

With that thought she picked up her pace, keeping her hood well over her face as she passed the city gates. No, she certainly wouldn't get far on foot. What she needed was a horse – or a boat.

* * *

"Oh excuse me sirs, do you think you could help me?" Merida fluttered her eyelashes as she peeked coyly from behind her fan.

The group of guards nudged each other, grinning, before one of them spoke up.

"'Course Miss. How can we be of service?"

The suggestive raise of his eyebrow and the way his eyes quickly gave her body the once over made Merida want to roll her eyes, but at least he was keeping his gaze generally on her face. She had put up with a lot worse in her years of being a pirate, and she was sure this wouldn't be the last time she would be oogled at. Still, having men constantly distracted by her gender nearly always worked to her advantage, so she guessed she shouldn't complain too much. Poor fools.

"An acquaintance of mine said he would meet me in yonder tavern, but I cannae find him anywhere! I don't suppose any of you fine gentlemen have heard of a Mr Rider have you?"

"Flynn Rider?" one of the men at the back of the group asked.

"Oh yes, that's him." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "I hate to talk badly of him, but he owes me rather a lot of money and it is _quite _urgent that I have it back."

The men's faces lit up as she had hoped. She was banking on the fact that Jack had mentioned they seemed less than taken with this Mr Rider, and would therefore by _much _more likely to give up his location if it would get him in trouble.

"Ah that doesn't surprise me Miss. I always thought he was a shady fella; never could understand how he rose through the ranks so quick. He's on duty at the moment but I believe he was actually due to be relieved ten minutes ago. He'll be heading back to the guards room so that's where you'll be able to find him. I'll be more than happy to escort you if you like Miss…..?"

Luckily Merida was spared having to invent a name for the prying guard, when a group of his colleagues came running up to them at a frantic pace.

"Marcus! Gather your men and come with us!"

"Sir! What's wrong?!"

"Something has gone missing from under royal protection, we don't know more than that. Just gather your men and head with me to the barracks - all guards are to report there for further orders."

"Yes Sir!" Marcus saluted smartly before turning to Merida. "Sorry Miss, urgent business."

"Oh that's fine, don't worry about me" she tittered girlishly. "You have to do your duty after all; it makes us poor women folk feel safe knowing you _brave_ men are watching the city for us."

He beamed at her and turned to follow his colleagues – but not before he stumbled into some poor woman wearing a purple cloak.

Merida had to stifle her snigger. The man was still so flustered by her simple flirting that he couldn't even walk straight!

Blushing red and glancing at Merida to confirm that she had indeed spotted his moment of clumsiness, the guard mumbled his apologies to the woman and scurried away.

Flicking open her fan under the pretence of peeking shyly at his vanishing form, Merida used it to hide her other hand as she made a few hand signals that Hiccup and Jack would be able to read from their position behind her.

_Follow them._

Something was going on and she wanted to know what it was – but these accursed shoes left her in no position to be hot-footing it through the city. She would rely on Jack and Hiccup to be her eyes and ears for now. Sure enough, Hiccup rushed past her in pursuit of the group, and a flicker of a shadow over head told her that Jack had taken to the rooftops. She didn't worry about Hiccup's wooden leg slowing him down – he was actually rather fast, but would not hesitate to play the part of 'slow cripple' if it worked to his advantage.

Sighing, she resigned herself to the fact that she just wasn't going to be seeing much action in this disguise, so she might as well get some shopping done instead. There was a stall she had seen a while back that sold the most delicious smelling fruit pies – it had been so long since she'd had fresh fruit on the ship that she wasn't going to deny herself this treat.

* * *

Rapunzel gripped her new knife tightly. It had been easy to slip it out of the guard's belt when she orchestrated bumping into him – he had been far too distracted by the pretty red head behind him. She mourned the loss of her epee that had been made especially for her (after much begging to her parents) but they had deemed the fencing sword 'too dangerous' for her to use without an instructor's supervision. She eyed the castle that towered above them on the hill – it was probably up there in the armoury somewhere, far beyond her reach now.

Moving back into the shadows before anyone could pay much attention to her, she took an inventory of what she had and what she needed.

Knife, cloak, food, blanket, frying pan, rope – check.

Money and a form of transport – unfortunately still required.

She had never needed money in the tower – why would she? She had been given everything she had needed on a silver platter. It was only after hearing the many adventures that Flynn had had in his youth that she convinced him to teach her the art of miss direction and slight of hand – though she implied it was only because she was interested in magic tricks.

She loathed the idea of stealing anything from any of her people – they were all hardworking, ordinary folk who did not have much to begin with. Stealing from the guards was different as her parents would re-supply their equipment anyway, but none of them carried any money whilst on duty.

Her fingers twitched with the urge to play with her hair. It was a nervous habit she had always had whenever she was stressed or uncomfortable, and right now she was getting rather stressed indeed. Though she congratulated herself on remaining unnoticed so far, the rush of guards who had just gone past were almost certainly amassing for one thing – her re-capture. It looked like either the door didn't hold up as long as she'd hoped it would, or the next group of guards had arrived early to find their colleagues locked up and the princess missing.

Looking down at herself she knew it wouldn't be long before she was found at this rate. Though she had worn her most simple dress that morning, it was still made of materials far more exquisite and detailed than those worn by common folk. She needed to find some kind of transport out of here and fast, and if she couldn't buy it then she would have to find another way. She turned on her heel and vanished down a dark alleyway.

* * *

Merida was lost.

She cursed to herself, allowing her ladylike persona to slip as a barrage of vile words echoed off the alleyway walls. She'd been wandering around for the past ten minutes, growing less and less certain of which direction she was going by the minute, until she finally had to admit she had taken a wrong turning. She'd been far too distracted by the thought of pies and hadn't been paying attention to where she was going – a rookie mistake! She was glad the boys weren't around to witness it.

The back alleys were like a maze around here, and she didn't have Jack's monkey like ability to leap up to the roofs to get a better view. Even if she did she'd stand no chance in the vile heels she was currently sporting anyway. She glared at them again, seriously considering taking them off and throwing them away – they pinched her feet horrifically!

Reminding herself she would likely attract more attention than was wise if she wandered down the street as a barefoot-yet-highborn lady, she resigned herself to keeping them on and turned to go back the way she came. She drew up short however when a shadow blocked her pathway. Or a group of shadows she should say.

Big, burly and rather menacing, a group of thugs blocked her way, eyeing her hungrily. Whereas the guard had at least kept his eyes on her face after an appreciative glance, these men were practically drooling; she felt unclean as she watched their eyes register her appearance and fixate on her plunging neckline.

"Yep, _definitely _going to kill Jack for that one." She thought to herself.

Knowing better than to turn her back on them, Merida began to slowly back away, bringing her closed fan in front of her and pointing it at them defensively.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

They snickered at her choice of word.

"Actually we were wondering if _you _needed any help. Has the poor little lamb lost her way?" One of them sneered.

"No, I'm fine thank you. Just waiting for some friends actually. Big tall blokes, bristling with weapons. You wouldn't like them." She replied coolly.

They laughed.

"Is that so? Still, we'd better keep you company 'till they arrive don't you think? It's the _gentlemanly _thing to do."

"I'll be fine by myself thanks. I'm a big strong girl – tie my own shoelaces and everything."

Her back hit a wall - looked like the alley was a dead end. She cursed inwardly.

Her chances were looking pretty slim right now – two, even three of them she could have handled. The tight space meant they would be forced into coming at her one at a time, but five of them? That was pushing it. It was very unlikely she could take on those odds and come out of this unscathed.

They continued to move closer, the leader taking point as the alleyway narrowed until he loomed over her threateningly. He stopped just in front of her outstretched fan, looking down at it with a sneer.

"Aint no use pointing that stick at us luv" he jeered. "What yer gonna do? Wave us to death wiv it?"

She grinned. "Nope. I'm gonna do _this."_

And with that she pressed the secret button Hiccup had installed on it, releasing the hidden blade from the end. Swiping the blade upward she slit the thug's throat before he had a chance to react, and dodged to avoid the fountain of blood that now spewed from his neck.

* * *

Rapunzel had ducked from shadow to shadow, sticking to the back alleys in an attempt to remain unnoticed for a while before she decided that travelling over the rooftops would be far easier to stay out of sight; not to mention she would have a better view of where she was going too.

Finding an empty alleyway, she looked both ways to make sure no one was looking before kicking off her shoes and gripping her fingers into the stone work. She was no stranger to climbing – the ceiling in her tower was exceedingly high and climbing was the easiest form of exercise she had available to her; one could only run around in circles so much. To be fair, she usually had her long hair to act as a rope and safety net, but she was skilled enough at it by now not to worry too much.

Sure enough, it was only a few moments later she found herself pulling her body up onto the roof, wincing slightly as the hot tiles burnt the soles of her feet. Still – nothing she couldn't cope with.

Allowing herself a small sigh of happiness she smiled at the feel of the wind against her face. It smelt of fish and salt – she assumed the direction it came from must lead to the docks she had seen on maps of the city. And where there was a dock, there would be boats.

A direction now firm in her mind, she began her quick yet careful clamber over the rooftops. She had only been travelling a few minutes however when she heard something odd coming from one of the alleyways below her. Pausing, she crouched down and peered over the edge.

It was the red haired woman from earlier that the guard had been so taken with– and it looked like she was in trouble. A group of five men had her backed against the wall, and it certainly didn't look like they were friends of hers. Casting her eyes about frantically for something that would help, her eyes landed on the heavy tiles underneath her hands. Thick and made from solid clay, they would certainly cause some damage dropped from this height.

She grunted as she prised a couple loose, then took aim at the thugs below. Raising her arm to fling one she nearly dropped it in surprise when the red haired woman revealed a hidden blade in her fan and promptly slit the throat of the man bearing down upon her.

Recovering quickly, Rapunzel took that moment to fling the two tiles straight at the heads of two men in the middle of the group, causing them to drop to the floor like stones. Using the distraction she flung herself over the edge to the alley below, praying her landing technique was still as good as it had been in her tower – breaking her ankle at this point would be the end of everything.

Once slitting the leader's throat, Merida had dodged the red liquid gushing from him and quickly rushed the man behind him as the first one toppled to the ground. She knew the element of surprise was vital to her gaining any form of upperhand over their numbers, and it wouldn't take them long to re-gather their wits. Sure enough, as she aimed her thin blade at the next guys neck he dodged it at the last second, causing her to slice open his cheek instead.

Howling in pain he shoved her away from him against the wall. She only had a moment to register in surprise that two of the men who had been behind him where now lying on the floor before he was bearing down upon her.

Ducking his fist, she grinned at the crunch it made as it connected with stone and she nipped in close to him to deliver a fatal stab to his heart. The hidden blade, though not long or strong enough to parry blow with any sword, was thin and sharp enough to perfectly slip between a mans ribs – reaching it's target and killing him quickly.

Unfortunately, the man stumbled forward as his last breath left him, his foot catching on her dress and stopping her from moving out of the way before he fell and trapped her under his weight. Straining to hold him up, Merida was aware there was still one man left unaccounted for who would be on her at any second.

With a mighty heave she shoved the man off her and onto the floor, turning to meet her attacker just as he raised his knife to cut her down. Suddenly she realised her hand was empty – the knife was still stuck in the last man's chest! "Stupid, _stupid _woman_!" _she yelled at herself internally. Despite the predicament she was again glad that neither Hiccup nor Jack was there to see her make two stupid mistakes in such short succession. 

Just as she began to twist her body in preparation for dodging the knife, the man gasped and seemed to stumble. She easily sidestepped him and he fell to the ground at her feet – a knife lodged in his back.

Looking up her eyes widened as she took in the form of the woman in the purple cloak from earlier. Her hood was pushed back off her face now, and though she had not seen her face before she recognised the cloak, and she was surprised to see that beneath it was a slight woman no older than herself. Chest heaving from adrenaline, the blonde offered her a tentative smile.

"Was that yer handy work too?" Merida asked, gesturing to the broken tiles on the floor.

The woman nodded before stepping over one of the unconscious thugs to retrieve her knife from the unlucky man's back. Her face twisted in distaste as she withdrew it from his body and, after hesitating for a second, wiped the blood on his shirt.

"Well then, I guess I owe you." Merida bent over to also retrieve her blade before stepping over the second unconscious body and offering her hand to the woman.

"The name's Captain Merida Dunbroch – Merida to me friends. And you are…?"

The other woman's eyes widened slightly before grasping her hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "I'm Rapunzel. I'm sorry, did you say you _Captain? _As in, of a ship?_"_

Merida raised an eyebrow.

"Yea…why?"

"Well, I find myself in need of transport – rather quickly really. I don't suppose there would be room on your vessel for one more would there?"

Before Merida had time to answer, simultaneous groans alerted them to the fact that the two previously unconscious men had awoken, and were quickly standing up, swords in hand and looming either side of them.

As if they had rehearsed it, the two women gave synchronized snarls of attack and lunged forward; leaning around each other they thrust their weapons in and out with quick and deadly force, quickly dispatching the brute behind the other with a stab to the stomach.

Watching in surprise as the men crumpled to the floor, neither woman could quite believe how quickly they had each reacted – nor how in tune they seemed to have been.

Rapunzel looked at Merida with a shy grin and Merida smirked back before linking arms with her and leading her out of the alley.

"Now what was that you were saying about transport?"


	5. Chapter 5

Spotting Merida's hand signals behind her fan the two men looked at each other before breaking out into grins.

"Bet you I get in there first" Jack challenged.

"You wish, snowflake!" Hiccup jibed back before he hurtled round the corner and past his red haired Captain.

Racing through the streets after the group of guards, he was determined not to lose sight of them. He agreed with Merida that they were definitely worth following - something was going on in this city and he was going to find out what.

A part of him yearned for Toothless to be at his side, but he would have been far too noticeable. Dragons were rare in this part of the world, let alone a tame one – there would be outright panic at the sight of him, even if he were on his best behaviour (which he wasn't always).

After many twists and turns they finally reached the castle. He slowed, eyeing the looming gates as he saw the guards enter. He needed to get inside to listen to their briefing, but there was no way he'd be allowed to just saunter in – through the main entrance anyway. Darting to the left, he followed the wall round to where he knew the servant entrance was.

As he expected, it was open and bustling with many servants and tradesman rushing in and out as they delivered various goods for the celebrations. Walking over with the confidence of someone who belonged there, he neatly sidestepped a stumbling drunkard before heaving a barrel of fresh ale off a waiting cart and rolling it through the open doors. The doorman barely spared him a glance – it was amazing where the anonymity of servitude could get you.

Dropping off the barrel outside the kitchen, Hiccup ducked into the shadows to get his bearings. He began creeping around the grounds, looking out for any guards that he could follow to the meeting he knew must be taking place. Rounding a corner his eyes landed on something – something that would be very useful. He grinned.

Meanwhile Jack has also reached the castle. His rooftop travels had allowed him a relatively easy journey so far but now he eyed the towering walls ahead of him with frustration. The height difference was far too great for him to merely jump, and though he had climbed things as steep as this before, it would take him far too long and doing it in broad daylight was much too likely to get him spotted. There _was _an open (yet narrow) window that was possibly within reach but there was still the problem of him being too visible. What he needed was a distraction.

His ice blue eyes scanned the streets below him until he found what he was looking for. A brief trip back to the ground, some whispered words and a few coins pressed into some urchin hands and his distraction was ready. Backing up as far as he could on his current roof top position, Jack crouched in preparation, waiting for the signal.

He didn't have to wait long before he heard a loud yell.

"Oi! Look where you're going!"

"Look where I'M going?! How about YOU?!"

"Yer mum looks like a walrus!"

"Yer dad looks like an eggplant!"

Jack smirked at the ridiculous insults and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Sounded like the two boys were having a lot of fun with their pretend fight, though he could only hope they weren't getting _too _carried away with it when he heard them start to exchange blows.

"Oi you two! Cut it out! Break it up, I mean it!" he heard the shout of the guard below as he moved away from the gate to interfere.

"About time" Jack thought, and launched himself into a full out run. Sparing a slight prayer to the Moon that his skills wouldn't abandon him, he reached the edge of the roof and leapt with all his might towards the narrow window.

His fingers and feet scrabbled against the hard stone, desperate to gain a grip. He cursed, wishing he had remembered to take off his shoes before he'd made the jump – it was always easier for him to find a foothold with bare feet. He clung to the window ledge, and for one heart stopping moment he thought it would crumble beneath him; but luckily it held firm. Breathing a sigh of relief he hauled himself up and quickly squeezed himself into the open window before he could be spotted by any passer by below.

It seemed like Jack's good luck was continuing because the room was empty. He supposed he should have thought of that before he had decided to leap in through a window with no means of escape, but that was the thing about Jack – he had a habit of not thinking things through. He said it was part of his charm. Hiccup said it was part of his small brain.

The room he was in was dusty and looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. A baby's crib sat abandoned in the corner; a mobile hanging stationary above it. It had a sun emblazoned on its centre with various animals hanging sadly from the edges.

It was a lonesome picture – and odd if he thought about it. He hadn't heard of these particular royals having any children of their own. Perhaps it was for the children planned that never came. Jack felt a slight pang in his heart as he experienced a rare moment of sympathy for the royal family.

He shook his head and re-focused his thoughts. This wasn't the time to be getting sappy; he had a job to do! Besides, it's not like the King and Queen didn't have everything else their hearts could wish for. They had most things served up to them on a silver platter whilst he, Hiccup and Merida had to fight for anything they wanted out of life.

He made his way to the door and slowly pushed it open before peeking his head out. Finding the corridor abandoned he slipped out, pulling the door closed behind him and silently made his way along the halls.

Quite quickly he came across a staircase – narrow and discreet, with no adornments or carpet to speak of, it was obviously meant for the servants. That, and the heavenly smell that drifted from it gave him the conclusion that it led to the kitchens.

He hesitated. On one hand the kitchens would be on the ground floor near the herb garden – they would be the quickest way outside to the grounds so he could work his way round to the barracks. On the other hand they were going to be full of people which would make his attempt to remain invisible much harder.

Before he could make his mind up, a head of short brown hair popped round the corner of the staircase, and he came face to face with a pair of surprised brown eyes. The servant girl gaped as she took in his appearance – his white hair and pale skin was strange enough by itself, but his clothes were also an oddity. They were cut to the style of a middle class merchant, yet they were obviously a bit worn for wear after his clambering over the rooftops of Corona and brief wrestle with the window ledge.

Suddenly both the girl's and Jack's heads turned as they heard footsteps approaching down the corridor. Acting on impulse he moved forward, ushering the girl into the shadows of the stairwell with a finger to his lips and a pleading look in his eyes. She gazed into his eyes for a moment before giving a short nod and took his hand to lead him further down the stairs and out of reach of the approaching eyes.

Waiting half way down steps, Jack waited until the footsteps had faded before he turned to the girl to thank her.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Pippa" she replied, slightly warily.

"Well Pippa, you are officially my knight in shining armour" he chuckled before bowing. "The name's Jack – Jack Frost."

She gasped, her eyes flicking up to his hair as they lit up with realisation.

"No _way…_THE Jack Frost?"

"You've heard of me then?" he smirked smugly.

"My friend Jamie has told me all about you! You're one of the infamous pirates of The Wisp! He's got all the newspaper clippings about your adventures, not to mention your wanted posters; he hardly ever shuts up about you actually. He's never gonna believe I actually _met_ you….wait. Why _are _you here?" her rambling came to a halt as her brain finally caught on to the fact that this pirate probably hadn't broken into the castle to pay social calls on servant girls.

"You're not here to hurt anyone are you?" she began wringing her hands in distress as she took a hesitant step back from him.

Holding his hands up defensively, Jack crouched down so that he didn't loom over her from his higher position on the staircase.

"Pippa, I swear I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm just trying to find out some information; that's all. I know I'm not supposed to be here but hey – what's an adventure without breaking a few rules?" he winked.

Pippa smiled hesitantly back at him. Maybe it was naïve of her but she believed him. Jamie idolised the crew of the Wisp, and was always defending their actions to her when a new story came out about their latest escapade. He would point out that though the rumours spread of their diabolical ways, they never actually hurt anyone if it could be avoided and only ever targeted the corrupt or those who could afford it.

Yes, he was a pirate. Yes she should be calling for the guard right now. But for some reason she knew she wouldn't. Something in this man called out to her, and despite her head telling her she was being a fool, her heart told her otherwise – she believed in him.

Jack waited with baited breath whilst she decided what she was going to do. It felt like a lifetime before she finally sighed, looked him in the eye and simply said

"Where do you need to go?"

…..

Clinging to the trellis and ivy leaves that ran up the side of the guard's meeting hall, Jack thanked his lucky stars for Pippa. Without her sneaking him into Jamie's room and stealing him a change of clothes before ushering him through the kitchens as a new servant, he would never have got here before the meeting was over.

As it was it appeared he had missed most of it; he stifled a groan and instead forced himself to listen intently at the open window for any remaining tidbits he could gather.

"You all have your orders so move out and separate into your units! You are dismissed – except Tower Duty. You are to wait behind for further instructions."

Jack dared to peek his head above the window ledge in time to see most of the company of guards exit the room, all except for a small group that made their way to the front. The Captain stood with his back to him, and Jack ducked back down again before any of the guards spotted him over their superior's shoulder.

Once the door had closed, the Captain began speaking once more.

"As you aware I have just informed our colleagues that we are looking for a blonde woman with valuable information to the crown. As you are aware, I have just _lied._"

"Is it true then sir?" One of the men piped up, sounding concerned. "She's been kidnapped?"

"Who took her? How did they get her out?!" Another spoke out indignantly.

The Captain appeared to hesitate before answering. "We are not sure yet…but it appears she _chose _to leave. Clearly she is unaware of the dangers and what people will do once they find out about her…which is why we must get her back safely at all costs. Ideally I want one of _you _to find her. I have told the men not to harm her if she is found, but it will be easier if someone she knows were to approach her. I do not know what state of mind she must be in at the moment, but clearly she is not thinking straight."

"Where's Flynn sir?" someone asked. Jack's ears perked up at the familiar name.

"Rider is currently indisposed. It seems that he was knocked unconscious whilst on duty, though we are not yet clear as to how. He will be questioned once he is conscious, but right now we have more important things to focus on. As previously mentioned each of you will be put in charge of a unit and shall spread out to cover the city. Find her men. Bring her home. Dismissed!"

Once it was clear the meeting was over, Jack began climbing down the vines; his mind buzzing with information. So it wasn't the Golden Rope that had gone missing then; both good and bad news. On the one hand this meant it was still under lock and key somewhere, but on the other at least they didn't have to track it down again.

Who was this mysterious girl that the guards were so desperate to find? This city wide search made it seem like she was a wanted criminal, yet they spoke of her with obvious fondness and concern. Some visiting noblewoman perhaps? But then why would they respond to her leaving with such panic? And why would the guards from Tower Duty specifically know her so well? Unless….

Jack reached the ground just as he came to a sudden realisation, but he had no time to think on it before there was a shout and he found himself wrenched backwards.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing here?!" a guard held him by the scruff of his newly donned shirt, glaring at him.

Before he could come up with a convincing story, Jack yet again found himself ripped from where he was standing and out of the man's grasp by two firm hands on his shoulders.

"I'll sort him out sir. It's that ruddy drunk from the servant's entrance that Jones was grumbling about earlier. Must have slipped inside when the doorman wasn't looking – probably after the ale."

Jack adopted a slumped posture and grinned inanely before slurring "I washhh only lookin' see! Not ta – ta taste or nuffin I swears! Well maybes a shmall bit…"

The guard looked at him with distaste before nodding to his colleague.

"Ok then, just get him cleared out of here quick and go join your unit. Tower Duty has just finished their meeting and we're getting ready to leave at any minute."

The man holding Jack's shoulders saluted smartly before turning and marching them both towards to the servant's entrance – his wooden leg tapping against the flagstones.

"Nice costume change" Jack grinned at Hiccup, eyeing the white guard uniform he was now wearing. "Where did you get it?"

"Laundry room" Hiccup replied, allowing a slight smirk. "And you?"

"Made friends with one of the maids who 'borrowed' them from her friend. Name of Pippa. I must come back and visit some time!"

"How come you always manage to win over the ladies?" Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"What can I say? It's my natural charm!"

Reaching the exit, Jack re-adopted his drunk persona as Hiccup guided him past the gates.

"Got to make sure this one gets home safely. I must say I don't fancy being in his shoes when his wife gets hold of him!" Hiccup exchanged a laugh with the doorman.

Once out of sight of the castle gates, they found an abandoned alleyway to duck down and exchange information.

"I was there for the whole meeting – apparently there is some woman with incredibly long blonde hair they're after. Personally I don't see that as much to go on but apparently we'll 'know her when we see her'." Hiccup frowned.

"Apart from that all they said was that she has valuable information to the crown, but we are not to harm her under any circumstances – just make sure she was brought back safely to the castle. I couldn't get away with staying for the private meeting afterwards, but I'm assuming that since you were lurking around the back you managed to hear something?"

Jack nodded. "I didn't manage to find out why they want her; all I know is that it _isn't _because she has information. She seems to have escaped from somewhere, but the way they were speaking about her….it's not like they would speak about a prisoner. They seemed genuinely worried about her. But get this – apparently the Tower Guards are the ones who know her best and know the real reason they want to find her. So I was thinking, what if the place she escaped from _was_…."

"The Tower?" Hiccup concluded. "But I thought we'd decided the Golden Rope was in the Tower?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, I think it'll be useful if we can talk to this blonde girl before the guards get to her. Something weird's going on here – I can feel it."

"You're probably right. But let's go back to the ship first. Merida should be there by now, and she's gonna want to know about all this before we decide what to do next."

Jack nodded silently in reply and the two of them began to make their way quickly and quietly towards the docks.


	6. Chapter 6

As Merida and Rapunzel made their way through the streets, the Captain noticed her new found companion was shaking.

"Are you feeling ok?" she shot her a sidelong glance as she led Rapunzel by the arm.

"Huh? Oh…..yes. Well….I'm not sure….It's just that - I've never…."

Rapunzel glanced behind them, and though the alleyway they had been attacked in was now far behind them, Merida could tell the blonde was picturing the bodies they had left to rot in the shadows.

Without a word, she suddenly changed direction, pulling Rapunzel along with her into the entrance of a tavern that had seen better days.

"Wha…?" Rapunzel began to ask in surprise, as she found herself being firmly sat down at the first empty table Merida could find. Her eyes flittered around the room, full of men and women of varying respectability. Eyes landing on a group in the corner that looked particularly nefarious with their cloaked appearance and dark mutterings, she remembered her own status as wanted run-away and pulled the fallen hood back over her head.

"What you need is a drink." Merida replied matter of factly – gesturing to the waitress to bring them two beers.

"Oh but – but – I've never drunk before!" she spluttered.

Merida raised an eyebrow. "Well today is going to be a day for more than one 'first' for you isn't it?"

Rapunzel flinched slightly as she remembered the bodies.

As two frothing tankards were placed in front of them, Merida flicked a couple of coins at the waitress before pushing a beer towards her new acquaintance.

"Now drink up."

Rapunzel clutched the tankard tightly in her still shaking hands and gave it a hesitant sip under the red head's piercing gaze. Grimacing slightly at the bitter taste she pulled a face, but continued to nurse the beer in her hands.

"So…first time in a fight or first time they ended up dead?" Merida asked quietly, swigging back a mouthful of her own drink.

"Both."

"Ah."

Neither said a word for a moment as they continued to drink – Rapunzel more slowly than her companion. It still wasn't what she would describe as the most appealing of flavours – but it was starting to give her a warm feeling in her stomach that for some reason she found comforting.

"I know they deserved it." She suddenly burst out, as if in desperation to explain herself. "I _know _that. There was no way they were going to let either of us out of there alive, so it's not like they left us any other choice. It's just…."

"You ended another human's life. I know." Merida nodded solemnly. "I remember the first time I had to make that decision…well. Sometimes the decision gets taken out of your hands – like today. But if it makes you feel better I can guarantee you none of that lot will be missed. If anything, what we did today probably saved someone else's life along the road."

Rapunzel felt a small smile of gratitude reach her lips. What Merida said was true – they probably had saved someone else through their actions. And she had said 'we'. _They _had done it, not just Rapunzel – Merida wasn't distancing herself from the act at all. She was taking it in her stride in fact, acknowledging it for what it was and then moving on.

Rapunzel studied the other woman more closely. Her face held a regal beauty, yet there was slight weathering that proved she had not lived a sheltered life. Sun kissed and freckled, with a slight faded scar on her cheek, her face alone spoke of hidden adventures that Rapunzel could not dream of.

Her hair was an unruly mop of red curls; they reminded her of the flickering flames from the fireplace in her tower. At the moment they were fastened in a half hearted attempt at an elegant up-do – though many a curl had escaped during their previous exertions.

Upon closer inspection Rapunzel deduced that her clothes were probably not her own – they were elegant in style and material, but the cut did not suit Merida's womanly figure at all. The low neckline should have made Rapunzel blush, but she had never been as sensitive to these things as her noble parents would have liked.

She never had understood why the naked body should be treated with such embarrassment – everyone had one after all. She had always been fascinated by the different shapes and sizes people came in – probably because she never got to see many. Instead, she would let her imagination fill her notebooks and canvases with bodies of varying shapes and forms, practising gestures and expressions. She would even rope the guards into posing for her when she could, though usually it was only ever Flynn who would concede to her seemingly daft requests; rolling his eyes and laughing as she convinced him to pose on tiptoe like a ballerina.

Rapunzel's eyes drifted down to Merida's hands. These hands had certainly seen hard work – scars created delicate white patterns over her knuckles and the calluses on her hands were probably gained from practising with the knife she was so clever with. Her chewed nails were a complete contrast to Rapunzel's own perfectly manicured ones, and hinted at her impatient personality.

Finally, Rapunzel looked back to Merida's eyes. Her eyes were wide and round – a far more innocent look to them from first glance than the rest of her might suggest. But in those eyes Rapunzel could see much more. Experience. Hardship. Loyalty. Ferocity. Yes, Rapunzel could see all those things in there.

And that is why she would trust her.

Straightening up, Rapunzel's smile grew more confident and she swallowed the rest of her beer in one big gulp. Wiping her mouth on her sleeve, she placed the tankard back on the table with a decisive clunk.

"You're right. I did need that."

Merida grinned, sensing that the woman opposite her had obviously come to the decision not to let the events in the alleyway affect her. Her sharp eyes could see that no faint of a tremor remained in the blonde's hands – they were steady as a rock.

"Right, well all that remains is to discuss what you require of transport then!" she replied cheerfully. "After saving my hide back there, the least I can do is to offer you a lift. Only thing is, my crew and I only just arrived today and we are in need of…a certain item that's rather hard to procure. So it might yet be a few more days until we're ready to ship off. You're welcome to food and lodging on the ship until then if you like."

Rapunzel's face fell.

"Oh. You see it's just that I was hoping to leave sooner than that. Today in fact."

Merida raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How come?"

"Er well….some people might be looking for me and….I'd rather not be found."

Merida studied her carefully. The girl in front of her certainly didn't _seem _like the kind to be involved in anything dodgy – but then again she had been lurking down dark alleyways and proven she could handle herself in a fight.

"Well" she thought inwardly to herself "I guess it takes all sorts". Sighing she replied out loud "I really want to help you Punz – mind if I call you Punz? - but me and my crew have been planning this for a _long _time. I can't just give it up – not now we're so close."

"What – what if I help you find it?" Rapunzel replied desperately, leaning forward over the table. "I know lots of secrets about the city; maybe I know what it is you're looking for! If you found it – would you leave right away?"

Rapunzel wasn't lying (she couldn't anyway). Gothel had her fingers in a great many pies, and her spies continually informed her about most dealings within the city. There weren't many secrets that Gothel didn't know about and in turn – Rapunzel.

For some reason – probably because Rapunzel had encouraged her to believe it over the years – Gothel believed her to be a foolish, naïve girl who looked up to Gothel like a second Mother. She would boast to the girl about her growing power in the kingdom and the clever schemes she had constructed to increase her riches and standing. Rapunzel would play on the woman's vanity by listening attentively to all her stories, flattering her and gazing at her with seeming adoration – all the while storing away the information for use at a later time. A simple promise that she would never tell her parents or the guards was all it took to keep Gothel happy – after all, the girl could not lie, and who else would she ever meet to tell?

Merida considered Rapunzel's suggestion and she studied her up and down. She certainly _seemed _trustworthy - though who could tell these days? Then again, this woman had jumped in to save her life – she who was a complete stranger, when she could have just walked on by. If she was apparently on the run, it meant that her actions had put her in even more jeopardy as it was something that was likely to draw great attention to her.

Nodding to herself, Merida came to a decision. She would trust Rapunzel: for now at least.

Leaning in and gesturing for Rapunzel to do the same, Merida used the noise of the tavern to hide her question from prying ears.

"Have you ever heard of the Golden Rope?"

Rapunzel's heart fell. Oh yes, she had heard of it alright. The rumours had begun shortly after Gothel had started bringing her blindfolded visitors as a way to make money. Her parents had been furious when they first heard the rumours, even unaware of how they had started.

But quick thinking as ever, Gothel had informed them it were merely a cunning ploy: much better that, if people ever clocked onto the fact that the Royals were hiding something, it was an object rather than a person they came looking for.

And from the looks of things she hadn't been far off.

"I – I have heard of it yes" she replied carefully.

Merida's heart leapt, though she tried not to let her excitement get the better of her.

"You have?! What do you know of it?!"

"I know that it is rumoured to hold great healing powers and the ability to force one to tell the truth. But what I also know is…" she hesitated.

"What?" Merida urged her.

"It is not here."

"What?! What do you mean it's not here?!"

"I mean exactly that. The Golden Rope is not here. I swear to you, I would not lie."

"No, that can't be right! Everything pointed to it being in Corona! If not here, then where?!"

"Listen, listen -" Rapunzel reached out to grab Merida's hand urgently. "If you take me with you – I will tell you the truth of the Golden Rope. I will tell you everything there is to know about it. But only if you take me with you – today. I promise."

There was a weight behind Rapunzel's words that made Merida look her in the eye. Though she did not want to believe what the blonde was telling her, her gut told her that this woman was telling her the truth.

She wrestled with it for a few moments before groaning and letting her face fall into her hands. Pulling her fingers through her hair in frustration, she shot Rapunzel a look of half irritation, half reluctant acceptance and sighed.

"Argh – _fine. _I believe yer. But if you turn out to me tricking me, yer gonna find yerself in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean – understood?"

"Understood." Rapunzel replied seriously.

Merida gave her one last judging look before standing and gesturing to Rapunzel to follow.

"Well come on then – we best be getting back to the ship. I've got some crew mates to break the bad news to…."

* * *

They had just rounded the corner to the docks when Rapunzel let out a small 'Eep!" of surprise and pulled Merida down behind some barrels.

"Wha – what?! What's wrong?!" she asked, instinctively keeping her voice to a low whisper.

"Guards – they're all over the docks!" Rapunzel replied, tugging her hood forward nervously to make sure every hair was covered.

"Ohhh…so yer on the run from the law? I assumed it was some bad folk who were after you, not the shiny-whitey's over there!" Merida peeked round the corner to get a better look.

"Hmm. They seem to be searching any of the ships about to leave. There sure are a lot of them…are you sure this is all for you?"

"Pretty sure."

Merida took a moment to think, biting the nail on her thumb.

"Ok." She said, coming to a decision. "I've still wearing my disguise as a merchant woman – if they ask, then you just say yer my ladies maid alright?"

Rapunzel took a moment to siphon away the information that she had been correct – Merida was also not all she seemed to be if she was wearing a disguise – before replying in an apologetic tone "Um well you see…I'm no good at lying."

"Oh it's easy, they say 'And who are you' and you reply 'I'm her ladies maid'." Merida responded impatiently. "See, that's not so hard is it?"

"No, you don't understand – I _can't _lie. Truly." Rapunzel implored her desperately.

"Gods almighty!" Merida threw her hands up in frustration. "How on earth did a goody two shoes like you get in trouble with the law?!"

Rapunzel just looked miserably at the floor, unable to explain in a way that Merida would understand.

Watching the dejected form of her new companion, Merida's temper quickly fizzled away and she sighed before placing a comforting hand on Rapunzel's shoulder.

"It's ok, we'll just have to try another way then."

She peeked around the barrels once more and suddenly her eyes landed on something that made her eyes light up with hope.

Wheeling round again, she took Rapunzel by surprise by grabbing both her shoulders; her eyes lighting up with mischief and adventure.

"Right, here's what we're gonna do…."

* * *

Jack was waiting on the ship, nervously pacing up and down. He and Hiccup had arrived at the port just ahead of a group of guards who had spread out to cover all entrances and exits. It seemed they were conducting searches of any ship attempting to leave – they could only assume for the missing person. This wouldn't have been a problem for them apart from the fact they had a few questionable items aboard that they would rather no one else saw – a fire breathing dragon being only one of them.

Giving each other only a silent nod, they had split up so that Hiccup could merge with the guards whilst Jack went back to take command of the ship in Hiccup and Merida's absence. Relieving Hook Hand of his post (they had never found out his real name, and he seemed happy enough with the nickname) Jack began to watch for Merida's return in earnest.

He had already been approached by one guard, but he had managed to prevent him from boarding by insisting that his mistress would be displeased if they searched the ship in her absence – and besides they would not be going anywhere without her. The guard had been placated for now, but Jack was not sure how much longer they would hold off their search so he kept a sharp eye on the gangplank just in case anyone unwanted tried to board.

Suddenly, a flash of red amongst the bustle of the dockyard caught his attention. He beamed as Merida's striding figure made its way through the crowd and hastily climbed aboard.

"Captain! We've got a lot to tell you, but there are guards trying to search the ship and - "

"Got it Jack. Where's Hiccup?" she interrupted him urgently.

Before he could respond, a voice hailed them from over the edge of the ship.

"Madam! It appears you have returned! We are under direct orders to search all ships in the dockyards, but your crew would not allow us on board without your presence."

Merida and Jack turned to look down the gangplank at a guard who was waiting rather impatiently with a group of his colleagues behind him; one of them who looked rather familiar to Merida.

Ignoring Hiccup for the moment she replied in as haughty a manner as she could muster "Aye, and quite right too! My brother has taken great pains to bring our merchant wears to your kingdom, and it simply will not do to have your guards mess them up with their clumsy hands."

A slight tinge of red found its way to the soldier's cheeks and he responded with strained politeness. "Be that as it may Ma'am, we must search the ship. May I speak with your brother?"

"Actually you may not. He is currently tied up in the dreadful business of arranging new clothes for me – after one of _your _guards managed to knock me to the ground I might add!" she stated accusingly, gesturing to her dress which looked rather worse for wear since the fight.

"I had to come straight back to the ship because I have found the whole thing so dreadfully distressing!"

The guard became flustered, obviously put out at the information one of his own colleagues had knocked down a guest to their city.

"Oh…well I am greatly sorry – it's just that – be that as it may – I err…."

Sighing dramatically Merida cut him off "I _suppose _you are only doing your job and you can not be blamed for that. Very well. I shall allow ONE of your men to conduct a search of my – I mean, my brother's ship. One of you surely can't mess it up that badly. How about you?" Merida pointed to the group behind him. "You will do nicely I think."

Hiccup took a step forward, saluting to the superior officer. "I don't mind sir – I can get it done."

The officer looked him over before sighing in relief that they had come to some sort of compromise and nodded his acquiescence. "Fine fine, go ahead. Try not to let her be too hard on you" he muttered in an undertone before raising his voice. "That will be acceptable Ma'am. Good day."

Hiccup boarded the ship and waited for the group of soldiers to move on before turning to Merida with a grin.

"Good thinking there Mer – God knows what they would have done if they came across Toothless below deck!"

"Become fried chicken probably" Jack quipped with a grin.

Merida allowed herself a brief smile at being in their company again before turning serious.

"Yes well, we all know if I left everything up to you two we'd be in jail by now. But I've got more serious things to discuss. We need to leave – now."

"Leave?! But what about the Rope?" Jack exclaimed.

"It's not here" Merida replied, ushering him to be quiet.

"But how do you know?" Hiccup asked in a tone that made it clear it's not that he didn't believe her – he just wanted to know where she got the information.

"It's kind of a long story, but it's tied into a favour I need to ask." She turned to her white haired friend. "We need to leave now – but Jack, I need you to stay here."


	7. Chapter 7

Rapunzel was fidgeting in her crouched position behind the barrels. She couldn't help it. It felt like an age had passed since Merida had left her here, when in reality it had probably only been fifteen minutes or so.

Forcing herself to stay calm, she wiggled her toes in the dirt beneath her; taking a strange comfort in the feeling. She had waited so long to feel dirt beneath her feet – it was a strange wish perhaps, but it was a wish all the same. And now she was here, and she was _so close _to fulfilling all the other dreams she had been pining over her entire life.

To swim in the ocean. To dance with someone in a wild and enthusiastic manner that would be highly frowned upon by her parents. To climb mountains. To fall in love. To win a fight. To paint – oh, to paint _everything. _She would discover new art, new ways to imprint the beauty of the world on something tangible that she could keep forever.

There was just so _much _she wanted to do, she couldn't list it all. She had taken the first step, and the idea that she might be caught now caused her physical pain. What if Merida had got tired of her? What if she thought she was more trouble than she was worth and just left her here? She would remain crouching behind this barrel until one of the guards found her and then she would be carted off – back to the tower where she would live the remainder of her days in a gilded cage…."

Just as Rapunzel's thoughts began to spiral into panic, a hand on her shoulder caused her to scream.

Quicker than a flash the hand moved to clap over her mouth to muffle the sound, before she was pulled firmly back against someone's chest. She felt the tickle of cool breath against her cheek as their head moved close to hers.

"Shhhh! Do you want the whole dock to know you're here? It's ok, I'm a friend of Merida's – she sent me to get you." An amused voice whispered into her ear.

Titling her head back to look up, her green eyes met cool blue ones. As blue as Merida's, but these ones held a twinkle of amusement – these eyes laughed. Though whether they were always like that or just because of her current ridiculous upside-down expression of surprise she did not know.

Reaching up to pull the hand away from her mouth, she twisted round until she was sitting in a slightly more dignified posture and gave the man in front of her the once over.

The smirk on his lips as he shamelessly stared back at her looked comfortable on his face – she would guess it was a common expression for him. His white hair and pale skin piqued her curiosity as she had never seen such colouring before – or lack of it perhaps she should say. He was certainly not old enough for his hair to be turning white – he was in his mid twenties perhaps? And his body - though lean - held obvious strength in his toned chest and muscled arms.

Her eyes zoned in on an earring that twinkled from one ear – green and blue gemstones in the shape of a tiny hummingbird. It was quite beautiful, and Rapunzel found herself surprised to see something so delicate on a masculine sailor.

Around his neck a crude wooden pendant hung from a leather cord, though she could not quite make out what it was as it was partially hidden beneath his shirt.

A chuckle caused her to look up and she found the mystery man was watching her with one eyebrow raised. Realising she had been caught staring at his chest for almost a full minute in the attempt to discover what the pendant was, a slight blush hit her cheeks and she responded with indignation in order to cover her embarrassment.

"You know, you could have just said 'hello' like a normal person!" she admonished him in a whisper. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Yeah, normal isn't really my thing" he flashed her a blinding white smile. "You'll find that out soon enough. Names Jack by the way. Jack Frost."

"Rapunzel" she replied, warily taking the hand he offered as he helped her to her feet.

"What no last name?" he joked. She remained silent, pulling her cloak tighter around her.

"Fine, no last name! Oooo just like royalty! Ok then Princess, right this way!" he gave a mock bow as he gestured to one of the back streets leading away from the docks.

She wasn't quite able to stop herself from flinching at Jack's unfortunate choice of words. He had no idea he had just hit the proverbial nail on the head, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Don't call me that" She barked at him in annoyance. "My name is Rapunzel."

"Rapunzel…hmm bit of a mouthful. I think I prefer Princess." Jack was like a dog with a bone – he had a knack for seeing exactly what would wind someone up the most, and the joker inside him just wouldn't let it go

"Now shall we get going? Or do you want to be caught?"

"You haven't even told me _where _we're going yet!" She hissed at him.

"Didn't Merida tell you the plan before she left? Come on Princess, I can tell you on the way."

Rapunzel crossed her arms and glared at him. She didn't move an inch.

Rolling his eyes Jack sighed.

"Ok fine – _Rapunzel. _Would you be so kind as to follow me so we aren't caught, then hung drawn and quartered by the guards whose numbers are only increasing by the second?"

Casting a nervous glance behind her Rapunzel had to concede that Jack had a point. Nodding hastily she strode past him into the alleyway, pretending she didn't notice as he shook his head in disbelief at her.

* * *

They had been walking a while in relatively companionable silence when Rapunzel came to the conclusion that perhaps she had been a bit hard on him. He was only trying to help her after all –she had just been so nervous about being caught that his carefree demeanour had grated on her in that moment.

She coughed to clear her throat before shooting a sidelong glance at him. "So….Jack. Where _are _we going exactly?"

Jack glanced back at her before answering. "You mean she really didn't tell you?"

"No…she said she needed to go to the ship, and would then send somebody back for me. Apart from telling me to wait behind the barrels and stay out of sight, that was pretty much it."

"Oh. Well, as you saw back there the guards were practically swarming on any ship that dared to move so there was no way we were gonna get you aboard unseen." He looked at her curiously, obviously wondering why there was such a fuss over her.

"Instead she and Hiccup – that's the first mate – are gonna sail the ship round to a cove on the other side of the cliffs. That way it will be out of sight of the main city watch towers, and they can send a small row boat to pick us up. She asked me to tag along with you to make sure you get there in one piece." He winked.

"Oh. Well I guess that makes sense" Rapunzel pondered to herself. Suddenly Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her back from the street she had been about to step out into. Rolling her against the wall he leaned over her, arm propped over their heads and he leaned down until their foreheads touched – effectively hiding her from view of the group of guards who chose that moment to pass by. To anyone who _did _happen to glance their way, it would merely look like a pair of lovers stealing a private moment in the shadows.

Rapunzel froze, only the sound of her own heart beat and Jack's breath registering in her ears. She had nearly walked straight into them. She had been _this _close to being caught. She shuddered.

Now the danger had passed, Jack allowed himself to relax. Registering Rapunzel's shiver, he grinned wolfishly at her "I'm flattered you're so affected by my presence Princess."

She looked at him obliviously for a moment before catching on to what he was implying. "I believe _you're _the one who pushed me up against a wall Jack – I suggest you gain a better control of your urges. There are plenty of brothels around here if you're suffering that badly" she rolled her eyes before pushing lightly against his chest.

Jack stepped back to give her some personal space, his eyes twinkling in mirth. He found himself pleasantly surprised at her quick comeback and refusal to take the bait – it was nice to see she had a sense of humour after all.

Rapunzel looked out at the open street ahead of them before murmuring shyly "But thank you – for stopping me."

"No problem." He shrugged. He watched carefully to make sure the coast was clear before leading her by the arm through the busy street and into the next alleyway.

"When are they sending the boat?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well hopefully tonight – when the moon is highest in the sky. But that means we have to get through the city, past the main gates, into the forest and out the other side all before nightfall." Jack grimaced. "Which is looking more and more unlikely. I didn't realise how long it would take travelling down on the streets and having to stop every five minutes for the guards. It would be so much easier if we could go on the rooftops…." He looked up longingly.

"Well why don't we then?"

He stopped short, looking at his companion in surprise.

"Why don't we what?"

"Go up on the rooftops?" Rapunzel pointed above them. "If it's easier and quicker, we should have done that from the start!"

"But – but – can you?" Jack spluttered, his forehead creasing in confusion.

Rather than answering him, Rapunzel turned to eye up the wall they were standing next to. A few crates were piled up on one another and created the perfect steps for her to leap to a window ledge higher up. So that's what she did.

Bounding up the crates she used the final one as a springboard to leap up to the windowsill above. Heaving herself up she braced her arms against either side of the window and gauged the distance to the washing line stretched across the alley. Used to holding a great deal of heavy, wet washing, the line should easily take her petite weight.

She threw herself from the window, fearlessly confident that her hands would reach their target. When her fingers clasped the line she twisted her wrists and shifted her body weight to send her in a single spin around the rope before letting loose – and landing with a perfect dismount on the rooftop.

Looking back to her companion below, she allowed herself a satisfied smirk at finding him open mouthed in shock.

"Coming Jack?"

**Author note - I have now edited this chapter to correct a rather large mistake I made! Anyone else notice the slip up I made when I had Rapunzel pretend her last name was Rider? She can't lie! Ooops :S Many thanks to WikiSorcerer for pointing it out - the changes have been made and Punzie is truthful once more!**


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